Best known for small, quirky television shows - like the cult hit Buffy The Vampire Slayer -Joss Whedon may seem an unlikely choice to write and direct a film that packs not only a team of Marvel Comics' mightiest superheroes, but also some of Hollywood's biggest names. But The Avengers, which opened this week overseas and is set to debut in the U.S. on May 4, is already generating the kind of acclaim and box office success that has Disney and Marvel Comics seeing green (and not just because of the Hulk).

This weekend, CBS News correspondent John Blackstone catches up with Whedon, who discusses the challenge of taking on a potential blockbuster, as well as how empowering women has been a theme throughout his work.

"I loved the idea of a girl going into a dark alley, and a monster comes, and then she just aces him," Whedon tells Blackstone. "It's like, you want to see the tiny person suddenly take control. God, my whole career is basically about that!"

The full interview - which includes clips from the film - will broadcast Sunday, April 29, on the CBS SUNDAY MORNING WITH CHARLES OSGOOD (9:00-10:30 AM/ET) on the CBS Television Network. Rand Morrison is the Executive Producer.

I'm in the UK, if anyone does find a link to view it other than in the US, do post it!

It is so exciting. Like, FINALLY joe bloggs gets to see what the rest of us already knew - nobody does it like joss! Reading the Avengers reviews, is like "yep, coulda told you that was what to expect!" even though i'm yet to see it!

D'you think he's in with a chance of being handed back Wonder Woman at all? I was sooo looking forward to seeing what he could do with her.

for those of us setting up our DVRs via our web browsers (don't have a smartphone) the show appears to be titled CBS News Sunday Morning. (I tried CBS This Morning and my DVR gave me Friday and Monday, and possibly Saturday)
Anyway... Thanks!

Now I need to ask the mythtv people if there is a way to program for Joss but not as a writer...

Wesbi I'm finding it awesome! After years of wishing and hoping that there would be more interviews and publicity in the media for Joss' projects, we're finally getting them. I, for one, intend to wallow.

@Wesbi -yes i really am. On the run up to Cabin opening, before the reviews started coming out, I felt really nervous like it was my friend's film. And equally, it's like a friend has suddenly got his big break and all of a sudden everyone knows who i'm talking about. "You know he did Buffy the Vampire Slayer..." "Oh did he?" Or, conversely, someone at work who's a Buffy fan said of the Avengers "Oh I think it's just gonna be a mishmash of all the mediocre movies [ie Iron Man, Captain America, Thor] thrown together." Says I: "You know it's Joss Whedon at the helm don't you?" "OH! No I didn't! OK maybe I will go & see it then!!"

This is great. I would prefer he be on Craig Ferguson or even Kimmel, but Joss on a Sunday morning news show is pretty good. Hopefully, it will be the road to late-night TV (hey, if JJ Abrams could get on Kimmel...)
and to hann23..$400 million dollar opening weekend equals Joss getting on the cover of Time. He ought to get to EW's cover even sooner.

I've seen a couple intersections here in LA where one corner has a Cabin billboard, and another has an Avengers billboard. Driving up Fairfax a couple weeks ago they were placed one right after the other, too.

Most of the Cabin stuff is gone now, sadly, but it was cool while it lasted. Never got a chance to take a picture. But I hope Joss saw and took pride.

All this time, we have been his cult following, and now when in this mainstream success, it starts off verily surreal! It has just started, and I am very happy that Joss gets the recognition that he deserves, and have deserved for 20 years!

Dude! There are only a few people I'd get up early on a Sunday morning for - it's mah sleepin'-in day. But I will drag my sorry ass out of bed to see this, because the thrill of Joss getting this kind of press has still not worn off. ; ]

I thought this was just going to be just some interview clip about The Avengers but I geeked out when they showed a short clip of Much Ado!!!! It was a scene with Fran Kranz was saying some lines and Alexis climbing up the building to spy on them. I hope they put the clip online so I can see it again!

So amazing that is was ABOUT JOSS, not the Avengers, not its stars, but the man himself. I chuckled with the intro of "relatively unknown" when he's been my number one-would-like-to-meet/be celebrity since 1998. Awesome to see some footage from Much Ado!

It was a great segment. I didn't start a new thread on it since I wasn't expecting it to be so focused on Joss's career. If CBS posts the segment online we could start a new discussion thread for it. For now, we'll just discuss here.